Finding the best laptop – a comprehensive buying guide

Laptops are very compact, yet very versatile to run demanding applications.

It’s probably the best tool for doing serious work remotely, whether you’re home, on the road or ina classroom.

While standalone tablets and smartphones are more in use, most people realize that most things work better on laptops. It’s way more efficient to do research on your laptop than on your smartphone.

When it comes to choosing the laptop, there can be some very confusing things to take into consideration.

There’s a wide variety of sizes, features, and prices which make the laptop buying a challenge. That’s why we put this guide together.

Quick tips

If you’re in a hurry and don’t have the time to do proper research, these are some of the most important things to take into consideration:

12.5 to 15-inch screen offers the best balance between the usability and the portability of the use. Larger screens are fine if you don’t travel too much, considering the space they take.

If you’re spending something more than 600$, you should choose the minimum specs below:

Core i5 CPU

8GB RAM

SSD storage

1920X1080 screen

8+ hours of battery life (it’s ideal if you plan to take your laptop everywhere)

Consider a 2-in-1 laptop if you want to use your laptop as a tablet too

In order to find the perfect laptop for you, stick to these tips below.

Find a suitable platform

The most famous platforms you can use are Mac, Windows or Chrome OS.

This is not an easy question to ask, as this is what you’ll be dealing with all the time.

If you’re not familiar with both Macs and PCs, it becomes even harder. But, this quick overview will help you.

Most laptops operate in these three main systems, Windows, Chrome OS or macOS.

Choosing the right one is purely a personal preference, as all of them have their ups and downs.

Windows is the most flexible operating system, and it appears on many more makes and models than both of the others combined.

Windows notebooks range from 150$ to several thousand dollars, and they offer a wide array of features like touchscreen, fingerprint readers and dual graphics chips.

Since 2015, Windows 10 has added tons of new features and improvements, and the ability to use follow-up questions to Cortana.

macOS is only used in MacBooks, and it comes with the latest operating system, macOS Mojave.

Overall, the OS offers similar functions as the Windows 10, but with a different interface that substitutes an apps dock at the bottom of the screen. And, instead of Cortana, Mac has Siri.

ChromeOS is found on inexpensive Chromebooks like the Samsung Chromebook 3. Google’s oS is very simple and secure, but it’s way more limited than Windows or macOS.

The user interface looks tremendously similar to Windos with an application menu, desktop and the ability to drag and drop windows around. But, the main app you use is the Chrome Browser.

Choose the right size

Before you look for further specs and prices, you should figure out the size of the laptop you want to buy. This is also purely personal preference.

Additionally, laptops are usually categorized by their display size that ranges from:

11 to 12 inches: the thinnest and lightest systems possible have 11 or 12 inches and usually weight only 2.5 pounds

13 to 14 inches: provide the best balance of portability, and they usually weigh around 4 pounds.

15 inches: this is the most popular choice, and it usually weighs around 5 pounds. You should consider the size if you want a larger screen while you’re not planning to carry your notebook around often.

17 inches or larger: If you’re the type of person that has your laptop sitting on the desk all day than this is the best choice for you. I personally have a 17 inch, and I couldn’t be more satisfied with it. It’s processing power is amazing.

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

disable

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.